


Non-Native Species

by morrezela



Category: CW Network RPF, Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Police, Angst, Environmentalism, M/M, Melancholy, Other, Sad Ending, sort of infidelity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-30
Updated: 2015-05-30
Packaged: 2018-04-01 23:51:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4039444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morrezela/pseuds/morrezela
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It all started when Jensen picked up an extra shift for one of the beat cops.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Non-Native Species

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tebtosca](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tebtosca/gifts).



> Disclaimer: Not mine, so not mine. The people mentioned in here? I wish them all the best in their personal and professional lives and hope that they make many, many more movies and TV Shows. May I never set eyes on either of them, and may they continue in their marital bliss.
> 
> This? Ain’t a drop of it that is real.
> 
> Warnings: Angst, melancholic ending.
> 
> A/N: This is my first fill for my 2013 Earth Day comment fic meme. It was written for tebtosca who wanted Cop Jensen getting Activist Jared out of a tree. It turned so angst filled and sad! I feel like I should apologize!
> 
> All mistakes that you find are my own.

Sometimes picking up extra shifts just wasn’t worth it. Sure Jensen could use the extra money. Working the beat meant that he wasn’t getting his new detective’s salary, but the turn paid overtime and the department had been hit badly by the flu. Picking up the slack was both a decent thing to do and a way to get a little bit more money in the bank.

Being puked on by drunks and druggies was bad enough. Domestic disturbance calls could make Jensen lose sleeps for days afterwards. Mouthy traffic violators were annoying in the extreme. But damn Jensen hated protestors. They were always so full of righteous fervor and so certain that they had a right to do things they didn’t.

“You’re going to have to get down from there, sir,” Jensen politely told the giant man clinging to the tree.

“Those people are killing the earth!” the man argued back.

“This is private property,” Jensen reminded him.

“We have a legal right to protest,” the man shot back.

“Yes,” Jensen acknowledged, “you could protest to your heart’s content over there,” he pointed to the public land space that the protestors clearly were not on. “This is private property, and you cannot be on it,” he reiterated.

“Our clean air is being polluted! Out forests are stripped and dwindling and…”

“And that tree that you’re in is a non-native species, not a seed tree and this company has already built a native species park to mitigate the environmental impact of taking this one down,” Jensen interrupted him.

There maybe was something satisfying about seeing the wind puff out of somebody’s sails.

“What?” the man said dumbly.

“Yeah, you maybe want to double check the facts that your protest leader gives you – especially when he got jilted by the daughter of the owner of the business that is trying to build her. Now get down,” Jensen ordered.

Almost sheepishly, the man clambered down out of the tree. Once he was on the ground, he still towered above Jensen. “Sorry, Officer,” he mumbled.

“Uh-huh.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There weren’t many bars and nightclubs that Jensen felt comfortable in. For one thing, there were more drugs than he liked to think about being passed around, and he couldn’t just shut off the part of him that noticed felonies happening a few tables away. For another, he was past the age where pretty twink boys appealed to him. He wasn’t the sugar daddy type. The whole gay thing threw a monkey wrench into many of the ‘traditional’ bars where he and his brothers in blue could go.

Sure he might not get beat up in them anymore, but cruising for a boyfriend wasn’t going to happen at Joe’s Bar and Grill. Jensen couldn’t deny that he was picky. Pickiness came at a price. He was just lucky that he was so ‘pretty’ because the cover charge at Marcel’s was murder even with the so called ‘eye candy’ discount.

Of course, Marcel’s drink prices were hefty on Jensen’s pocket book as well. A few men would buy him a drink here or there, but too many of the rich business men trying to get into Jensen’s pants already had a wife and kids at home. Jensen wasn’t the type to go for that either.

“The nachos are great here,” the man sliding onto the stool on Jensen’s right said. “You wouldn’t think it because of the fancy name, but they’re to die for.”

It wasn’t the worst conversation starter Jensen had ever been subjected to, so he turned to speak to the newcomer. Her was, after all, trying to get into the dating scene again. Five months after his most recent amicable split, he was due to start dating. Otherwise his coworkers were going to start gossiping about it being a bad breakup again. He did not need the sympathy or the guilt that keeping sympathy cookies brought him.

Only he knew the guy sitting next to him. The hair was groomed and pulled back in a ponytail, the ratty tee replaced with a dress shirt and suit jacket, but Jensen would recognize the hair and woodsman beard anywhere.

“Jared,” hippie tree man introduced himself with a sunny smile.

Numbly, Jensen shook his hand. He waited for recognition to flood the other man’s face, but it didn’t.

“We’ve met,” Jensen informed him two seconds after his non-response became awkward.

“We have?” Jared sounded confused.

“I almost arrested you last Saturday,” Jensen reminded him. “But I’m glad to see you left your Birkenstocks and socks at home. This look is a lot better.”

“Oh, the officer that knew about non-native species,” Jared said, face lighting up instead of closing off. “Man, you look so different out of uniform.”

Jensen didn’t point out that he was technically in uniform. The guy didn’t need to know that Jensen was a detective who had been picking up some extra cash. “Usually me almost arresting somebody gets us off on the wrong foot,” he pointed out.

Jared waved a dismissive had at him. “But you didn’t arrest me. That short guy did, and the charges didn’t stick anyway.”

“They didn’t?” Jensen asked.

“Nope,” Jared answered with an even sunnier smile. “I know some fantastic lawyers.”

“That isn’t something to brag about,” Jensen informed him.

“Eh, lawyers get a bad rap,” Jared said, “some of them anyway.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” Jensen responded.

“You should take my word for the nachos instead,” Jared countered as he flagged the bartender down and ordered two servings of nachos. “You’re not on duty right now, are you?” Jared asked after the server was gone. “I wouldn’t want to get in trouble again.”

“For ordering me food against my will?” Jensen asked.

“You seem like you might get touchy about it,” Jared told him. “And for your information, Birkenstocks with sandals are classic protest gear. I’ve worn them to every protest and parade I’ve ever gone to.”

Jensen blinked. “Do I want to know how many you go to?”

“Per year? I dunno, fifteen? Thirty? It really depends.”

“Is it like a hobby for you?” Jensen asked.

Jared shrugged. “Just passionate, I guess. Gay rights. Animal rights. Energy conservation. Clean air. Clean water. Landfill reduction. Taxation representation. There are a lot of things going on in my world. Of course, I might need to scale back on them a bit. Last one got me in trouble because I didn’t do all my research first.”

“How many times have you been arrested?” Jensen asked.

“Never,” Jared said with a cheeky grin.

“You just were,” Jensen pointed out.

“Charges were dropped,” Jared responded. “Innocent until proven guilty, remember? I never get violent, and I know when things are going south. Going from protest group to mob makes the point get lost, you know? I don’t want to be a part of that. Don’t you worry, I’ve got a crystal clean record – sort of anyway. I did have to pay half of the parking tickets I kept getting in college.”

The food arrived, and Jensen dug into it just to keep from having to talk. Jared was right. The nachos were delicious.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

It became almost a thing. Jared showed up at Marcel’s on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He always sat next to Jensen, and he would talk Jensen’s ear off about his latest pet project. Jensen bought the food and drinks on Tuesdays because he refused to be the kind of guy who mooched off others, and Jared would grab the tab if Jensen didn’t say something first.

He didn’t find Jared cute. He didn’t. Hairy guys hadn’t been his thing since he had that ill-advised fling with Jeffery Dean and his perpetual five o’clock shadow. Jensen did not care for beard burn on his thighs.

But Jared would talk to anybody and everybody that happened to be nearby, so Jensen didn’t think it counted. They weren't dating. He didn’t think they were even flirting. They were more like bar buddies than anything else, and it was nice to be able to notice hot guys with somebody. Jensen’s coworkers were great, but they couldn’t talk men with him, and he wouldn’t ask them to do that anyway.

“So you’re independently wealthy,” Jensen started the conversation as he crawled onto the stool next to Jared. Jared had never shared his profession choice with Jensen, and Jensen preferred guessing to being told. Real life wasn’t a movie where Jared was going to turn out to be a mobster trying to get an entry point into the police department. Even if he was, Jensen would be a piss poor choice for that.

He might have good rep on the force and a solid couple of cases under his belt, but he was still the rookie detective in the department. He wasn’t going to have useful information.

Jared laughed and shook his head. “No. Though I thought you might not make it tonight.”

“Long day at work,” Jensen said.

“That doesn’t sound like a ‘long day,’ too chipper,” Jared observed.

“Because it wasn’t that sort of ‘long day,’” Jensen told him. “I closed out a case and the paperwork was a bitch but… I closed the case, you know?”

Jared smiled. “Not really, but I’m happy for you.”

“Thanks,” Jensen grunted.

“You going to the pride parade on Friday?” Jared asked.

“Define ‘going,’” Jensen said.

“Like as in marching and representing.”

“That would be a ‘no,’” Jensen said. “I’m on the security detail for the day. Always am,” he added on. “It isn’t really my area anymore, but they don’t say ‘no.’ I figure I’ve got an obligation to do it. You never know what kind of crazies are going to show up.”

Jared’s smile turned a little sad. “That’s actually kind of sweet.”

Jensen rolled his eyes and ordered a round of celebratory shots. “Tell me how your date with Liam went.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“You should bring your boyfriend to the family softball day,” Captain Williams said as Jensen slumped into his desk chair to start writing up his reports.

“Captain?” he asked.

The older man shook his head and smiled. “That protestor boy- the hippie with the beard. Padalecki. You should bring him with.”

“Jared isn’t my boyfriend,” Jensen informed him. “We just talk a lot. I don’t think that we’re exactly compatible.”

“You sure about that? Because last I checked, talking a lot was a sign of compatibility.”

“Friends are different from lovers,” Jensen intoned. “Jared isn’t exactly cop friendly.”

“Not with those sandals, no,” Captain Williams quipped. “But overall he seems like he makes you happy. I think we could live with it if he started making you happy in other ways.”

“Sir, that is very disturbing coming from you.”

“Yeah, well somebody has to kick you in your ass,” Captain Williams said before he walked away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So, the thing is,” Jensen started out nervously, “that there is this big softball party that I’m supposed to go to. I have the day off, so I don’t really have an excuse for ditching. I was wondering.…”

Jared held up his hand. “I know where this is going, and I can’t.”

Jensen tried not to let any hurt show on his face. It wasn’t a big deal. He and Jared weren’t seeing each other. They were just bar buddies after all. But his poker face wasn’t as good as it used to be.

“I’d love to, really. But…”

“Don’t, okay? I’m a big boy, Jared. I don’t like being coddled,” Jensen interrupted.

“It isn’t that,” Jared said earnestly. “I’m married, Jensen. And I can’t do that to you.”

“You’re what?” Jensen was fairly certain his voice squeaked at the end of his sentence. He was an officer of the law. Not much surprised him these days, but he hadn’t pegged Jared as the type. What sort of man did the whole closeted marriage thing while marching in gay pride parades? Unless… unless Jared had gotten married to another guy in a state or country that had same sex marriages.

“Open marriage?” Jensen guessed. That, at least, seemed more Jared-like.

“No,” Jared said sadly, “she’s in a coma, won’t ever wake up. But I promised her forever, and I meant my vows.”

“So you pick up men instead,” Jensen said flatly.

Jared shrugged. “It isn’t ideal. I get why you might judge me for it, but… I’ve always been bisexual. I know a lot of gay and straight people think that we’re a myth or whatever, but I really couldn’t care less about a person’s gender. When I married Sophia, that was supposed to be it for me. Only she went swimming in a lake and went under. The drowning wasn’t what damaged her. We got her out, gave her CPR the whole nine yards. It was the goddamned chemicals in the lake that took her from me.”

Jared’s eyes swim with an anger that Jensen hasn’t seen before. “Those fucking bastards had been dumping their poison in that pretty little mountain lake for years, hiding it from the feds and pretending to be these bastions of ecology. You don’t want to see the sort of nerve damage that it gave Sophia, don’t want to know what it was like to see her mind and body slip away.”

“I’m sorry,” Jensen offered.

“I know you are,” Jared said. “Everybody always is, and I don’t doubt you all mean it. But… but I’m the one that has to live like this. You know? Sophia didn’t believe in pulling the plug. She was always so optimistic about the future, believed in miracles. I refuse to break my vows or break her will – even if her will is gone now. So it’s men, never serious, never long term.”

“I didn’t mean…”

“To try to pick up the guy that you’ve been hanging out with for months now? Come on, Jensen, I know a serial monogamist when I see one. I’m flattered and fucking jealous of the man that is going to get to tell you ‘yes.’ But that guy can’t be me because I can’t give you what you want.”

Jensen bit his lip and tried to think of what to say to that. He couldn’t argue with Jared over it. He was right. At least, he was right about his life and his situation. Jensen wasn’t sure if he could handle that. Sure, as a friend, he could deal with it just fine. He had accepted Jared’s picketing and protesting easily enough, and he didn’t judge the guy for wanting a little comfort when he couldn’t be with his spouse. And it was Jared’s choice to seek divorce or not. That wasn’t Jensen’s business.

But could he handle the thought of being with somebody that had pledged his heart to another? He hoped someday to be married himself. The outlook was good for it, and he couldn’t marry a person that was already married to somebody else. He had already decided to start looking for that special guy to build a life with, and he had sworn off settling for what he didn’t want.

“Tell me about her,” was what he ended up saying.

Jared looked a little surprised, and Jensen felt a stab of victory at wrong footing his friend.

“You sure about that?” Jared asked.

“What? I don’t get to see your dick so I can’t get to see your mind? I do have layers to my personality,” Jensen reminded him.

Jared smiled a little. “I know, Mr. Non-Native Species.”

Jensen saluted him with his beer. “Now tell me your story, and don’t make me cry.”

“Why? Are you not a pretty crier?”

“I am a gorgeous crier,” Jensen corrected. “I’m so pretty you’ll want to take me home and cuddle me. Now quit stalling and tell me the tale of Jared. We’re in a bar. If things get too heavy, we’ll blame the alcohol.”

Jared shook his head, but most of the tension left his shoulders as he began with, “Most of the money I have comes from the settlement that we got against the company polluting the lakes…”


End file.
